Questions and Answers

Q. Is it true that if you clean your old coin it loses its value?

Asked by Andrei Hnedchyk on Sep 18, 2017

The short answer is yes. Unless you are trained to do it, cleaning a coin will remove the oxidation, or "toning," and render it much lower in value. Once that's done, trying to fix it will only make things worse. A qualified numismatist may know how to clean off dirt and grease and restore a coin to its original beauty; but like a fine piece of art, that coin must be handled skillfully.

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